Nut-lock.



PATENTED MAR. 26. 1907.

, J. G. WENNINGER.

' N UT LOCK. APPLICATION rum) 00m. 1906.

THE "aims PETERS C1,. wAsnmam'gv, v. c.

JOHN G. WENNINGER, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

NUT-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed October 5,1906. Serial No. 337,582.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN G. WENNINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inNut-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in nut-locks; and the object of theinvention is to provide a practical, simple, and durable locking devicefor the nuts on fish-plate bolts of railroad-joints, said device beingadapted to lock the nut on the bolt and prevent it from turning inconsequence of the vibrations of the rail-joints from passing trains,and thus allowing the bolts to work loose or out entirely, if notconstantly watched and frequently adjusted.

A further object of this invention is to so construct the locking deviceas to subject it to the least tensile strain from the expansion of therails.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, similar letters referring to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the application of my lockingdevice to the bolt nuts of rail-joint fish-plates; Fig. 2, the same viewas Fig. 1, showing the fish-plate bolted to the rails before mynut-locking device is applied; Fig. 3, the main locking-bar for the endnuts; Fig. 4, the locking-washer for the center nut Fig. 5, a sectionalend elevation through the dotted lines A A of Fig. 1.

The invention consists in certain details of construction, which will behereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the details of the drawings, B represents a railway-rail;O, the fish-plates; E, the nuts on the bolts clamping the fish plates Ofast to the rail B D, my main locking-bar adapted to keep the nuts fromturning; F, my metallic sheet-washer adapted to keep the center bolt-nutE from turning; D, lugs integral with the main locking-bar D, adapted tokeep the sheet-washer F from turning. In Fig. 2 one end of a rail B isillustrated with a section of fish-plate bolted fast to it by the endnuts E E. These nuts when drawn up tight are left so their sides standperpendicular, as shown. An opening 0 through the rail and fish-platesis provided for the third or central bolt with its nut E. Fig. 2-is nowin condition to have the nuts E locked to prevent them from turning offtheir bolts, and the locking-bar D, Fig. 3, is provided for thatpurpose. The laterally-extending lugs d are adapted to bear on the topsides of the nuts E and the vertical ends of bar D d (1 against theinner sides of the same.

A central opening 0 through the lockingbar D registers with the openinga in the'fishplate and rail, so the central bolt may pass through themall. Lugs D D extend upwardly from the face of this locking-barD wideenough apart to freely allow the thin netallic washer F, Fig. 4, to restbetween them, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. Its top andbottom faces f f, bearing against these lugs D D effectually preventthis metallic washer from turning, and the laterally-extendinglugs f fof this metallic washer F are provided, so that when the nut E on thecentral bolt is screwed down on the washer F and locking-bar D, as shownin Figs. 1 and 5, one of the thin lugs f may be bent and turned upagainst one of the vertical sides of nut E on the central bolt, (shownat F, Fig. 1,) and thus keep the central nut from turning off its boltfrom the vibrations caused by trains passing over the rail-joints. Whennecessary to remove the aforesaid central nut in order to take the jointapart, this upwardly-projecting lug F of theu thin metallic washer F isbent down, thus allowing the removal of the nut E from its bolt. If thisbending-down process of the lug f should fracture the metal of the thinwasher where formerly bent up, rendering that side lug unfit for bendingup against the nut E the second time, we still have the lug f on theopposite side to the one formerly used in good condition and ready to bebent up against the central nut and effectuallyprevent it from turning.It will be observed that my nut-locking device is only long enough to beapplied to the bolt-nuts on one end of the rail. This is done to preventthe strain on the bolts and nuts that would occur from eX- pansion ifthe locking-bar embraced the several series of bolt-nuts on both ends ofthe rails.

Having thus described the details of construction, the application issimple and as follows: The fish-plates are bolted on the rails by thebolts and nut, as shown in Fig. 2. The locking-bar D is now placed inposition as shown in Fig. 1, effectually preventing the nuts E fromturning. The central bolt is now passed through the opening a, the thinmetallic washer F placed on this bolt, resting down on and between thelugs D of the locking bar D, the nut E screwed down on the central bolt,as in Fig. 1, clamping the thin washer and locking-bar D down firmly onthe fish-plate C. One of the side lugs of the thin Washer F f is nowbent up against one of the sides of nut E on the central bolt, thuspreventing it from turning.

I do not confine myself strictly to the particular form of thin metallicwasher shown. It might be square or the side lugs pointed, and insteadof the lugs D to prevent the washer F from turning the lugs f might bebent down at right angles to embrace the top and bottom edges of thelocking-bar D and yet involve no further inventionthan I here employ toproduce the device herein illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the bolts and nu ts clamping several parts of amechanism together, of a locking-bar adapted to lit lengthwise betweenthe vertical flat sides of said nuts adjacent to each other, andlaterally-extending lugs integral with said locking-bar adapted to reston the upper flat sides of said nuts, to assist in preventing them fromturning, and a third bolt and nut adapted to clamp said locking-bar andthe mechanism through which the former bolts are passed together, and ametallic washer F adapted to rest on said locking-bar between it and thelower face of said third bolt-nut, and lugs ll) integral with saidlocking-bar adapted to prevent said washer from turning, and laterallyextending lugs f f integral with said nietallic washer adapted toprevent said third bolt-nut from turning, substantially as described.

2. In a nut-locking device the coinbiinition with the bolts and nuts ofa locking-bar adapted to rest on the upper and against the inner facesadjacent to each other of said nuts and a third bolt adapted to clampthe work and said locking-bar together and ametallic washer adapted torest on said locking-bar between it and the lower face ol the nut on thesaid third bolt and means provided to keep said washer from turning onthe face of said nut-locking bar, and means integral with said washeradapted to rest against the side oi said third bolt-nut to prevent i tfrom turning.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN G. ENNINGER.

lVitnesses:

ADAM DELLET, V. J. MINGLE.

